Immunohistochemical localization of gamma-MSH was studied in human and rat hypothalamus by peroxidase-labeled antibody method both at light and electron microscopic levels. Human and rat hypothalamus contained immunoreactive gamma-MSH neurons and varicose nerve fibers. The distribution of gamma-MSH-positive nerve fibers was similar to that of beta-endorphin previously reported. By our "re-staining method," gamma-MSH and ACTH were localized in the same neurons and nerve fibers. In the rat, the immunologic staining of gamma-MSH in hypothalamic neurons and nerve fibers was not diminished after hypophysectomy. These findings strongly suggest the possibility of actual precursor production in the hypothalamus which is similar to that in the anterior pituitary. The presence of gamma-MSH at the synapse-like structure of the nerve terminal may indicate that gamma-MSH could function as a neurotransmitter or a neuromodulator.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Double replica electroblotting for the simultaneous phenotyping of C6 and C7, and its application to the examination of bloodstains.

A new reliable and reproducible technique for the simultaneous determination of C6 and C7 types is presented, which employs double replica electroblotting after isoelectric focusing. It permitted clear discrimination of both C6 and C7 components, and the patterns were nearly comparable to those demonstrated separately. The population data obtained by this new technique fitted the genetic hypothesis. The present double replica electroblotting method was successfully applied to the combined phenotyping of C6 and C7 from bloodstains which were stored at room temperature for up to 4 weeks. The method is quite suitable for medicolegal examination of bloodstains particularly for the saving in the amount of sample.

Blood Stains↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of 1-year outcome for patients with panic disorder.

The course of panic disorder (PD) is often prolonged, but factors that affect the social outcome have not yet been made clear. The aim of this study was to find predictors of outcome for patients with PD. The subjects were 65 outpatients (28 men and 37 women) with PD (DSM-III-R) who were treated at our hospital for more than 1 year. The factors affecting 1-year outcome were evaluated by multiple regression analysis. We found that the following were predictors of poor social outcome in PD: (1) severe agoraphobia at the first psychiatric examination and (2) long duration of illness before the first psychiatric consultation. Furthermore, the complication of hypochondriacal symptoms predicted a poor outcome for PD. Early attention to agoraphobia and hypochondriasis is essential for the treatment of PD, and early introduction to psychiatric treatment is recommended.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Klippel-Feil syndrome with conductive deafness and histological findings of removed stapes.

The Klippel-Feil syndrome is usually associated with sensorineural hearing impairment, but rarely is it associated with conductive or mixed deafness. A 22-year-old female presented with fusion of the cervical vertebrae, torticollis, scoliosis, pterygium colli, the Sprengel deformity with an omovertebral bone, concavity of the thorax and conductive hearing impairment of the right ear. Tympanotomy disclosed an atrophic long process of incus and a fixation of the stapes footplate, and stapedectomy was performed with immediate postoperative improvement of hearing. However, she developed a sudden hearing loss with dizziness soon after she had physical exercise on the 15th postoperative day, and revision surgery revealed a perilymph fistula of the oval window. Histological investigations of the removed stapes showed no specific osseous changes but hyperostosis of the posterior edge of the footplate. The literature is reviewed and the etiology of the conductive deafness and the perilymph fistula is discussed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Radical modulation activity of pine cone extracts of Pinus elliottii var. Elliottii.

The radical modulation activity of lignins prepared from the cone of Pinus elliottii var. Elliottii was investigated, using ESR spectroscopy. These lignins produced radical(s) under alkaline conditions, and the radical intensity was increased with increasing pH. Lower concentrations of lignins slightly reduced the radical intensity of sodium ascorbate, whereas higher concentrations of lignins enhanced both the radical intensity and cytotoxic activity of sodium ascorbate. Lignins effectively scavenged superoxide anion, produced by hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase reaction. Elliottii lignins significantly inhibited the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced cytopathic effect, in similar fashions to other natural, commercial and synthetic lignins. Pretreatment of mice with lignins significantly protected them from the lethal infection with E. coli. Crude alkaline extracts of Elliottii pine cone displayed similar magnitude of activity with lignins. These data further supports the medicinal efficacy of plant extracts.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Antimicrobial and radical modulation activity of AV-07, a poly-herbal formula.

An extract of AV-07 was investigated for various biological activities. Pretreatment of mice with the AV-07 extract significantly protected them from lethal infection with E. coli. ESR spectroscopy showed that the extract produced radicals under alkaline conditions and enhanced the radical intensity of sodium ascorbate, suggesting its pro-oxidant action at higher concentrations. The extract effectively scavenged superoxide anion, produced by hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase reaction and hydroxyl radical, produced by Fenton reaction. These data demonstrate that AV-07 extract contains various bioactive substances, suggesting its medicinal efficacy.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Diverse biological activities of healthy foods.

Diverse biological activities of 7 healthy foods [powdered pine needle, citrate-fermented sesame, powdered coffee, royal jelly, propolis, pollen and white sesame oil (extracted by super critical state (40 degrees C, 350 atmospheric pressure))] were investigated. The pine needle, sesame and powdered coffee was also extracted successively by ethanol and hot water, and lyophilized. The pine needle and coffee extracts, and propolis showed higher in vitro cytotoxic, bactericidal and oxidation activity, as compared with other 4 lipophilic healthy foods. However, propolis showed slightly lower, but significant cytotoxic and bactericidal activity with much reduced oxidation potential. ESR spectroscopy demonstrated that the cytotoxic activity of these extracts was closely related to their radical generation and O2- scavenging activities. Healthy food components may have both pro-oxidant and anti-oxidant properties. Pre-treatment of mice with pine needle, sesame or powdered coffee extract significantly reduced the lethality of bacterial infection, possibly due to their host-mediated action. These extracts failed to reduce the cytophatic effect of HIV-1 (human immunodeficiency virus) infection in MT-4 cells. No apparent acute toxicity was detected in mice by oral administration of 10 g/kg of these extracts. This data suggest the medicinal efficacy of healthy foods.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Diverse biological activity of polycaphenol.

Millimolar concentrations of alkaline extract of Cacao husk (polycaphenol) were more cytotoxic to human oral tumor cells (human oral squamous cell carcinoma HSC-2, human salivary gland tumor HSG), than to human gingival fibroblast (HGF), suggesting its tumor-specific action. Polycaphenol enhanced the radical intensity and cytotoxic activity of vitamin K3 more effectively than that of sodium ascorbate (vitamin C). Polycaphenol effectively scavenged the superoxide anion, produced by the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase reaction, indicating bimodal (prooxidant and antioxidant) action of polycaphenol. Polycaphenol inhibited the cytopathic effect of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection in MT-4 cells, to a comparable extent as that achieved by lignin. Pretreatment of mice with polycaphenol protected them from lethal infection of Eschericia coli. These data suggest the medicinal efficacy of polycaphenol.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Diverse biological activities of moxa extract and smoke.

Diverse biological activities of moxa extracts and smoke (gas phase) were investigated. Moxa was extracted with hot water (Fr. I), or ethanol (Fr. II), or extracted with hot water after ethanol wash (Fr. III) and then lyophilized to obtain the dried powders. Moxa smoke (containing a lot of gaseous components obtained by burning Moxa) (Fr. IV) was collected into phosphate-buffered saline and quantified spectrophotometrically. These extracts and Moxa smoke showed comparable cytotoxic activity against human oral tumor cell lines (HSC-2, HSG). Human gingival fibroblasts (HGF) were more resistant to any Moxa fractions. Neither of the extracts showed anti-HIV activity. Pretreatment of mice with Fr. I significantly reduced the lethal effect of E. coli infection. All extracts produced radicals under alkaline condition, with a maximum intensity at pH 10.5, and enhanced the radical intensity of sodium ascorbate. It was unexpected that these extracts show significant O2- scavenging activities. These data suggest the medicinal efficacy of Moxa extracts and smoke.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Induction of anti-Escherichia coli activity in mice by phenothiazines, benzo[a]phenothiazines and benz[c]acridines.

The abilities of 14 phenothiazines, 8 benzo[a]phenothiazines and 12 benz[c]acridines to induce anti-Escherichia coli activity in mice were compared. Pretreatment with several benzo[a]phenothiazines or benz[c]acridines protected mice from lethal infection of Escherichia coli in a dose-dependent manner, whereas most of the phenothiazines induced much weaker anti-Escherichia coli activity. However, direct contact of Escherichia coli with these compounds or their administration just after bacterial inoculation were ineffective. These data suggest the immunopotentiation activity of benzo[a]phenothiazines and benz[c]acridines.

Acridines↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of Catuaba extracts on microbial and HIV infection.

Pretreatment of mice with hot water and alkaline extracts of Catuaba casca (Erythroxylum catuaba Arr. Cam.) effectively protected them from lethal infection of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The extracts significantly inhibited both the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-induced cytopathic effect and the expression of HIV antigen in HIV-1HTLV-IIIB or HIV-2ROD infected human lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1) positive MT-4 cells. The 50% effective concentrations of the active fractions (21-263 micrograms/ml) were 1/4 - 1/43 of their 50% cytotoxic concentrations. Their anti-HIV activity was shown to be induced, at least in part, via the inhibition of HIV adsorption to the cells. The data suggest a medicinal potential of Catuaba extracts against opportunistic infection in HIV patients.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of pine seed shell extract on microbial and viral infection.

Pretreatment of mice with ammonia extract of seed shell of Pinus Koraicenis, via the intraperitoneal or intravenous route, effectively protected them from lethal infection of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. The pine seed shell extract also moderately inhibited syncytium formation and cytopathogenic effect induced by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in cultured human lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1) positive MT-4 cells. These data suggest a medicinal potential of pine seed shell extract against opportunistic infection in HIV patients.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Antitumor, antiviral and immunopotentiating activities of pine cone extracts: potential medicinal efficacy of natural and synthetic lignin-related materials (review).

Several antitumor substances that effectively inhibited the growth of ascites and solid tumor cells transplanted in mice were isolated from pine cone NaOH extract by acid- and ethanol-precipitation. These antitumor substances were also potent antiviral agents against human immunodeficiency virus, herpes simplex virus and influenza virus; they induced antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcal aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Candida albicans, and induced antiparasite activity against Hymenolepis nana in mice. Chemical analysis of these substances by IR, UV, NMR, ESR and partition chromatography on cellulose-TLC plate disclosed that they had lignin-related structures complexed with sugars or polysaccharides. Chlorinated decomposition of the lignin portion significantly reduced their antiviral activity. In agreement with this, the antiviral activity of synthesized lignins prepared by polymerization of phenylpropanoid precursors was comparable to that of the undecomposed counterparts of the pine cone extract. Acid hydrolysis of the polysaccharide portion significantly reduced the ability of the substances to induce antitumor and antimicrobial activities in mice. With an appropriate eliciting agent, intravenous administration of natural lignified substances transiently induced endogenous production of a cytotoxic factor (possibly tumor necrosis factor) in normal mice. Their priming activity was significantly higher than that of their component units or degradation products. These data suggest the importance of conjugating lignins with polysaccharides for in vivo expression of various kinds of immunopotentiating activity. As possible explanations for their induction of a variety of immunopotentiating activities, these natural and synthetic lignins stimulated macrophage NBT-reducing activity, polymorphonuclear cell (PMN) iodination and splenocyte DNA synthesis and inhibited poly (ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase, RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activities.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗